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Verse 9 (below) says Christians can not remain sinners, because, as rendered by the various translation comittees: 1. God's nature is in them, 2. his seed abides or resides in them, 3. his life-giving power lives in them, 4. they have been born or begotten by God, 5. what God has said lives in them, 6. because God is their Father, 7. or because his reproductive seed remains in them. God is love (1 Jn 4:7-8 ; 1 Jn 4:16-19) and desires to save as many as possible. (2 Pet 3:9-10) It seems 1 Jn 3:9 indicates God's love for others is the reproductive seed, or life giving spirit, which remains in the followers of his son. That love, which they gained by exposure to the teachings of God's son, reproduces itself in many others who are exposed to God's teachings - by their coming in contact with Christians. Expressing love for others is our whole obligation! (1 Jn 3:23 ; Ecc 12:13)
1 John 3:9-12 GNB
(9) Those who are children of God do not continue to sin, for God's very nature is in them; and because God is their Father, they cannot continue to sin.
(10) Here is the clear difference between God's children and the Devil's children: those who do not do what is right or do not love others are not God's children.
(11) The message you heard from the very beginning is this: we must love one another.
(12) We must not be like Cain; he belonged to the Evil One and murdered his own brother Abel. Why did Cain murder him? Because the things he himself did were wrong, and the things his brother did were right.
1 John 3:9-12 Darby
(9) Whoever has been begotten of God does not practise sin, because his seed abides in him, and he cannot sin, because he has been begotten of God.
(10) In this are manifest the children of God and the children of the devil. Whoever does not practise righteousness is not of God, and he who does not love his brother.
(11) For this is the message which ye have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another:
(12) not as Cain was of the wicked one, and slew his brother; and on account of what slew he him? because his works were wicked, and those of his brother righteous.
1 John 3:9-12 ESV
(9) No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.
(10) By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
(11) For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
(12) We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous.
1 John 3:9-12 CEV
(9) God's children cannot keep on being sinful. His life-giving power lives in them and makes them his children, so that they cannot keep on sinning.
(10) You can tell God's children from the devil's children, because those who belong to the devil refuse to do right or to love each other.
(11) From the beginning you were told that we must love each other.
(12) Don't be like Cain, who belonged to the devil and murdered his own brother. Why did he murder him? He did it because his brother was good, and he was evil.
1 John 3:9-12 ALT
(9) Every one having been begotten from God is not practicing sin, because His seed abides in him, and he is not able to be sinning, because he has been begotten from God.
(10) By this are revealed [who are] the children of God and the children of the Devil: every one not practicing righteousness is not from God, and the one not loving his brother.
(11) Because this is the message which youp heard from [the] beginning, that we should be loving one another:
(12) not as Cain—he was from the evil [one] and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his works were evil, but those of his brother [were] righteous.
1 John 3:9-12 NWT
9 Everyone who has been born from God does not carry on sin, because His [reproductive] seed remains in such one, and he cannot practice sin, because he has been born from God. 10 The children of God and the children of the Devil are evident by this fact: Everyone who does not carry on righteousness does not originate with God, neither does he who does not love his brother. 11 For this is the message which YOU have heard from [the] beginning, that we should have love for one another; 12 not like Cain, who originated with the wicked one and slaughtered his brother. And for the sake of what did he slaughter him? Because his own works were wicked, but those of his brother [were] righteous.
1 John 3:9-12 GW
(9) Those who have been born from God don't live sinful lives. What God has said lives in them, and they can't live sinful lives. They have been born from God.
(10) This is the way God's children are distinguished from the devil's children. Everyone who doesn't do what is right or love other believers isn't God's child.
(11) The message that you have heard from the beginning is to love each other.
(12) Don't be like Cain. He was a child of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did Cain murder his brother? Because the things Cain did were evil and the things his brother did had God's approval.
1 John 3:9-12 GNB
(9) Those who are children of God do not continue to sin, for God's very nature is in them; and because God is their Father, they cannot continue to sin.
(10) Here is the clear difference between God's children and the Devil's children: those who do not do what is right or do not love others are not God's children.
(11) The message you heard from the very beginning is this: we must love one another.
(12) We must not be like Cain; he belonged to the Evil One and murdered his own brother Abel. Why did Cain murder him? Because the things he himself did were wrong, and the things his brother did were right.
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You will note the reference windows often include more than one translation of the Bible. The reason is to strive to gain the best possible understanding of the original Hebrew and Greek. Since we don't speak those languages, we rely on those who have come before and made the effort to translate those texts into English for us. Considering several translations gives the benefit of the understanding of several translation committees or individuals.
The Translations we quote are:
ALT - Analytical Literal Translation
ASV - American Standard Version (by the American revision committee in 1897).
BBE - 1965 Bible in Basic English
Bishops - 1568 Bishop's Bible
CEV - Contemporary English Version
Coverdale - 1535 Miles Coverdale Bible
Darby - 1889 Darby Bible
DRB - 1899 Douay-Rheims Bible
ESV - English Standard Version
GNB - Good News Bible
GW - God's Word Bible
ISV - International Standard Version
KJV - King James Version
LitNT - Literal New Testament
LITV - Literal Translation of the Holy Bible
MKJV - Modern King James Version
Murdock - 1851 James Murdock New Testament
NWT - New World Translation
RV - Revised Version
Webster - 1833 Webster Bible
WTNT - 1525-26 William Tyndale New Testament
Wycliffe - 1394 Wycliffe Bible
YLT - Young's Literal Translation